The DAN family: modulators of TGF-β signaling and beyond

Osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells is hindered by the presence of intervertebral disc cells

Background

Clinical observations indicate that the presence of nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue during spinal fusion hinders the rate of disc ossification. While the underlying mechanism remains unknown, this observation could be due to incomplete removal of NP cells (NPCs) that secrete factors preventing disc calcification, such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonists including noggin and members of the DAN (differential screening selected gene aberrative in neuroblastoma) family.

Methods

Monolayer human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were cocultured withNPCs and annulus fibrosus cells (AFCs) embedded in alginate for 21 days. At the end of coculture, MSCs were stained for mineral deposition by alizarin red, and relative expression of bone-related genes [Runt-related transcription factor 2, (RUNX2), Osteopontin (OPN), and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)] and ALP activity were analyzed. Relative expression of three BMP antagonists, chordin (CHRD), gremlin (GREM1), and noggin (NOG), was determined in primary human NPCs and AFCs. These cells were also stained for Gremlin and Noggin by immunocytochemistry.

Results

Alizarin red staining showed that MSC osteogenesis in monolayer cultures was inhibited by coculture with NPCs or AFCs. ALP activity and RT-PCR analyses confirmed these results and demonstrated inhibition of osteogenesis of MSC in the presence of disc cells. NOG was significantly up-regulated in MSCs after coculture. Relative gene expression of intervertebral disc (IVD) cells showed higher expression of GREM1 in NPCs than in AFCs.

Conclusions

We show that primary IVD cells inhibit osteogenesis of MSCs. BMP inhibitors NOG, GREM1 and CHRD were expressed in IVD cells. GREM1 appears to be differentially expressed in NPCs and AFCs. Our results have implications for the design and development of treatments for non-union in spinal fusion.

Structural insights into BMP receptors: Specificity, activation and inhibition

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are members of the transforming growth factor-β family (TGFβ), which signal through hetero-tetrameric complexes of type I and type II receptors. In humans there are many more TGFβ ligands than receptors, leading to the question of how particular ligands can initiate specific signaling responses. Here we review structural features of the ligands and receptors that contribute to this specificity. Ligand activity is determined by receptor-ligand interactions, growth factor prodomains, extracellular modulator proteins, receptor assembly and phosphorylation of intracellular signaling proteins, including Smad transcription factors. Detailed knowledge about the receptors has enabled the development of BMP-specific type I receptor kinase inhibitors. In future these may help to treat human diseases such as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.

Mechanisms of action of bone morphogenetic proteins in cancer

The bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play fundamental roles in embryonic development and control differentiation of a diverse set of cell types. It is therefore of no surprise that the BMPs also contribute to the process of tumourigenesis and regulate cancer progression through various stages. We summarise here key roles of BMP ligands, receptors, their signalling mediators, mainly focusing on proteins of the Smad family, and extracellular antagonists, that contribute to the onset of tumourigenesis and to cancer progression in diverse tissues. Overall, the BMP pathways seem to act as tumour suppressors that maintain physiological tissue homeostasis and which are perturbed in cancer either via genetic mutation or via epigenetic misregulation of key gene components. BMPs also control the self-renewal and fate choices made by stem cells in several tissues. By promoting cell differentiation, including inhibition of the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, BMPs contribute to the malignant progression of cancer at advanced stages. It is therefore reasonable that pharmaceutical industries continuously develop biological agents and chemical modulators of BMP signalling with the aim to improve therapeutic regimes against several types of cancer.

The Anti-Osteoanabolic Function of Sclerostin Is Blunted in Mice Carrying a High Bone Mass Mutation of Lrp5

Activating mutations of the putative Wnt co-receptor Lrp5 or inactivating mutations of the secreted molecule Sclerostin cause excessive bone formation in mice and humans. Previous studies have suggested that Sclerostin functions as an Lrp5 antagonist, yet clear in vivo evidence was still missing, and alternative mechanisms have been discussed. Moreover, because osteoblast-specific inactivation of β-catenin, the major intracellular mediator of canonical Wnt signaling, primarily affected bone resorption, it remained questionable, whether Sclerostin truly acts as a Wnt signaling antagonist by interacting with Lrp5. In an attempt to address this relevant question, we generated a mouse model (Col1a1-Sost) with transgenic overexpression of Sclerostin under the control of a 2.3-kb Col1a1 promoter fragment. These mice displayed the expected low bone mass phenotype as a consequence of reduced bone formation. The Col1a1-Sost mice were then crossed with two mouse lines carrying different high bone mass mutations of Lrp5 (Lrp5(A170V) and Lrp5(G213V)), both of them potentially interfering with Sclerostin binding. Using µCT-scanning and histomorphometry we found that the anti-osteoanabolic influence of Sclerostin overexpression was not observed in Lrp5(A213V/A213V) mice and strongly reduced in Lrp5(A170V/A170V) mice. As a control we applied the same strategy with mice overexpressing the transmembrane Wnt signaling antagonist Krm2 and found that the anti-osteoanabolic influence of the Col1a1-Krm2 transgene was not affected by either of the Lrp5 mutations. Taken together, our data support the concept that Sclerostin inhibits bone formation through Lrp5 interaction, yet their physiological relevance remains to be established.

Structure of neuroblastoma suppressor of tumorigenicity 1 (NBL1): insights for the functional variability across bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonists

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are antagonized through the action of numerous extracellular protein antagonists, including members from the differential screening-selected gene aberrative in neuroblastoma (DAN) family. In vivo, misregulation of the balance between BMP signaling and DAN inhibition can lead to numerous disease states, including cancer, kidney nephropathy, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Despite this importance, very little information is available describing how DAN family proteins effectively inhibit BMP ligands. Furthermore, our understanding for how differences in individual DAN family members arise, including affinity and specificity, remains underdeveloped. Here, we present the structure of the founding member of the DAN family, neuroblastoma suppressor of tumorigenicity 1 (NBL1). Comparing NBL1 to the structure of protein related to Dan and Cerberus (PRDC), a more potent BMP antagonist within the DAN family, a number of differences were identified. Through a mutagenesis-based approach, we were able to correlate the BMP binding epitope in NBL1 with that in PRDC, where introduction of specific PRDC amino acids in NBL1 (A58F and S67Y) correlated with a gain-of-function inhibition toward BMP2 and BMP7, but not GDF5. Although NBL1(S67Y) was able to antagonize BMP7 as effectively as PRDC, NBL1(S67Y) was still 32-fold weaker than PRDC against BMP2. Taken together, this data suggests that alterations in the BMP binding epitope can partially account for differences in the potency of BMP inhibition within the DAN family.